Jeffrey Banker aboard Bluestem Brasserie

Jeffrey Banker, formerly of Baker & Banker, is the new chef at Bluestem Brasserie. He starts at the end of May, with menu changes anticipated to take hold this summer.

“We now have a really strong culinary partner who can put all his love and care into feeding people into expanding and extending what we do here,” says partner Stacy Jed.

As noted in this week’s Inside Scoop column, Banker’s arrival is anticipated to serve both sides. For owners Stacy and Adam Jed, it is hoped to solidify the kitchen as they start to flirt with new projects. Meanwhile, Banker has a new gig in a high-profile San Francisco restaurant (one he’s actually cooked in before), without the challenges of owning a restaurant.

“It’s exciting to take what I was doing at my restaurant and not have the noise of running day-to-day operations, and really focus again on cooking,” Banker says. “As far as the food goes, I don’t want to reinvent the wheel or change the idea that people can come here and have an amazing meal and it doesn’t mean they’re having a super expensive dinner. It can still be a place that regulars come — and come often.”

Current chef Francis Hogan, who has been with Bluestem for four years, will help with the transition and then move outside the area.